It’s important for athletes to remember that a setback isn’t a dead end. That’s how Oregon cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu is approaching his unique challenge. A consensus All-American this past season, Ekpre-Olomu tore his ACL in a December practice. He missed the College Football Playoff, and his draft stock is now in jeopardy.
Last January, despite being projected as a first-round pick in the NFL Draft, Ekpre-Olomu elected to return to Oregon for his senior season. He helped the Ducks win the Pac-12 Championship and punch their ticket to the inaugural College Football Playoff.
An ACL tear is a pretty immobilizing injury, but Ekpre-Olomu is still getting after it. Working out at Proactive Sports Performance, a 5,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility in Santa Ana, California, he is doing anything but feeling sorry for himself. Despite having limited movement, Ekpre-Olomu is doing everything in his power to stay in elite shape and get better.
In the above video, watch Proactive Sports Performance coach J.T. Wright lead Ekpre-Olomu through a set of Heavy Rope Slams. Since he cannot do them from a standing position, Ekpre-Olomu does them sitting on a physioball, which adds an extra dimension to the exercise and certainly engages his core.
If you look closely, you can actually see Ekpre-Olomu’s crutches lying on the ground beside him while he works his tail off.
It’s awesome to see Ekpre-Olomu avoid excuses and embrace this challenge. Surely NFL teams will appreciate his determination and tenacity.
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It’s important for athletes to remember that a setback isn’t a dead end. That’s how Oregon cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu is approaching his unique challenge. A consensus All-American this past season, Ekpre-Olomu tore his ACL in a December practice. He missed the College Football Playoff, and his draft stock is now in jeopardy.
Last January, despite being projected as a first-round pick in the NFL Draft, Ekpre-Olomu elected to return to Oregon for his senior season. He helped the Ducks win the Pac-12 Championship and punch their ticket to the inaugural College Football Playoff.
An ACL tear is a pretty immobilizing injury, but Ekpre-Olomu is still getting after it. Working out at Proactive Sports Performance, a 5,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility in Santa Ana, California, he is doing anything but feeling sorry for himself. Despite having limited movement, Ekpre-Olomu is doing everything in his power to stay in elite shape and get better.
In the above video, watch Proactive Sports Performance coach J.T. Wright lead Ekpre-Olomu through a set of Heavy Rope Slams. Since he cannot do them from a standing position, Ekpre-Olomu does them sitting on a physioball, which adds an extra dimension to the exercise and certainly engages his core.
If you look closely, you can actually see Ekpre-Olomu’s crutches lying on the ground beside him while he works his tail off.
It’s awesome to see Ekpre-Olomu avoid excuses and embrace this challenge. Surely NFL teams will appreciate his determination and tenacity.